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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. track — a song
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — a path
  19. cold — an illness
  20. track — to keep track
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com